After officially agreeing to a three-year contract extension with the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan spoke about how Deebo Samuel’s versatility is what makes him one of the best players in the NFL.
SANTA CLARA — Trent Williams should be credited with an assist for helping the 49ers agree to a contract extension with Deebo Samuel.
The All-Pro left tackle is very close to the star receiver. The two have spent time together during multiple offseasons working out in Texas which led to their now-famous pregame walks out onto the field.
Williams revealed that while he wasn’t a mediator during the process, he did speak to both parties in the hopes of ensuring a happy result for everyone.
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“I talked to both sides during the process,” Williams said on Monday. “I was literally chopping it up with them the past two days, talking to Kyle. I was just doing my part as a mentor to Deebo and looking at him as a little brother and as a captain of this team.”
Williams explained that he offered his “two cents” but with absolute respect. Drafted as the No. 4 overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the experienced left tackle has seen it all and wanted to help procure an agreement.
“My biggest thing was that I never wanted to overstep any boundaries,” Williams said. “Because Deebo worked his whole life to get to this position, and you don’t work your whole life on this dream and get in this position and let somebody else tell you what to do.”
Williams gave kudos to Samuel for being a professional and returning to the team facility for mandatory minicamp and the start of training camp without an extension in the books. The 12-year veteran believes Samuel's presence is in large part why a deal eventually got done.
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While the situation between the two sides was strenuous for some time, Williams always believed an extension would get done. It got a little “uglier” than the veteran wanted to see, but in the long run, he had confidence that the club was going to do right by their star player.
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Both general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have shared how important Samuel is to the organization and Williams certainly concurs. The All-Pro lineman knows just how important Samuel is as a catalyst for the team both on and off the field.
“The spark plug that he is for the team, you see us coming out of the locker room,” Williams said. “It’s not just for show. That’s how we are in the locker room, period. You go in there now, that boom box is probably right next to his locker.
“He’s that type of person and that’s why he is important to this organization and why we had to have him.”
Samuel immediately participated in team drills on Monday but in a limited fashion. He will gradually be given more work as he gets up to football speed and ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
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